Eskymos Looking for Second Straight Playoff Berth
ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School football team made the state playoffs last fall for the first time since 2011. The Eskymos will be looking for a second straight trip to the Field of 256 when they open their season next Thursday night in Alpena. At Wednesday morning's practice, the boys had the usual optimism that comes with the start of every season. They are ready to compete, as well, for a Great Northern Conference title. "We're very excited for this coming year," Escanaba Coach Dave Howes said. "We have 52 kids out, and there's competition all over the field. So, at each position, every kid is trying hard to get that starting spot. We have the 'team concept' this year, so everyone's working hard." "It's going to be a good year," Escanaba senior quarterback Justin Popelka said. "We've got a lot of depth at every position. We've put in a few more formations, a few new plays, a little bit different offense. But we're going to be doing a lot of things the same. Defenses are going to have a hard time against us." "We've got a lot of good competition, guys fighting for spots, so I think we're going to have a good offensive line this season," added senior offensive lineman Johnny Kositzky. "We've got a few new wrinkles going into the offense. We should be pretty good on both sides of the ball." Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box at the top of this page to see photos and videos from Wednesday's practice. |